Orangetheory Fitness has embraced fitness as medicine, partnering with telehealth platform Dr. B to allow its members to use tax-free health savings account (HSA) and flexible savings account (FSA) funds on memberships, classes and equipment.
Through the partnership, qualifying Orangetheory members can obtain a letter of medical necessity (LMN) stating that they exercise to treat or prevent a medical condition. If approved, Orangetheory members can use their HSA/FSA funds to pay for memberships, class packs and a heart rate monitor at the popular group fitness brand.
A fast-growing telehealth platform, Dr. B streamlines the process of obtaining an LMN so fitness enthusiasts can use HSA/FSA funds to purchase things like gym memberships, classes and personal training. The platform offers a $15 online consultation that users can complete on their phone; if approved, patients can receive an LMN within one day.
According to Dr. B, Orangetheory members might save between 20-40% on their workouts by using HSA/FSA funds, which are pre-tax accounts that Americans can use to pay for qualified healthcare costs ranging from medical bills to eyeglasses to fitness products.
On its website, Orangetheory also offers an LMN template that its members can share with their healthcare providers to facilitate the process of obtaining a letter.
HSA/FSA Funds Gain Ground in Fitness
Orangetheory is one of the biggest fitness brands to embrace HSA/FSA spending, but it’s not the first. Dr. B has struck similar partnerships with brands including F45 Training, BODi (formerly Beachbody) and boutique fitness software provider Xplor Mariana Tek.
Another telehealth platform, Truemed, has partnered with brands including Peleton, Crunch Fitness and CorePower Yoga to enable HSA/FSA spending on fitness. Hyperice has partnered with Sika Health to allow HSA/FSA spending on the brand’s popular recovery tech items like massage guns and compression boots.
The HSA/FSA market represents a big opportunity for fitness and wellness brands, having been valued at around $150 billion. Many Americans opt in to contribute funds but some struggle to spend them on qualifying healthcare purchases.
While the fitness industry has long struggled to make the case to lawmakers in Washington, D.C., that working out should be treated as a form of preventive healthcare, there’s some optimism in industry circles that things could progress under the incoming Trump administration, which has signaled a desire to implement healthcare reform.
“We’re super excited because we’re facing an administration (where) for the first time … we see a receptive voice to understanding the benefits of physical activity and the intervention that’s needed from the federal government to allow more people to have access to it,” Health & Fitness Association vice president of government affairs Mike Goscinski said during Athletech News’ 2025 CEO Summit in New York City last week.
